Crooked Stave’s Chad Yakobson on what he learned from ‘amazing’ ROY-G-BIV Day

Chad Yakobson wasn’t expecting this. Really. When he arrived at his brewery on bicycle at 10 a.m. Sunday, between 30 and 40 people were lined up outside waiting, some in lounge chairs. Yakobson went inside and got to work, preparing with his small staff at Crooked Stave[1] Artisan Beer Project for what they thought was just another bottle release.

The next time Yakobson opened the door, the line snaked around the building and bottles of some of the best beers on earth were being passed around. So began what’s been described as a spectacular success, unmitigated disaster or somewhere in between.

Crooked Stave’s ROY-G-BIV Day, or Rainbow Day[2], drew an overflow crowd to the sour and wild brewery in Denver. Wild Wild Brett Violet, the last in a series of experimental ales 100 percent fermented with the yeast Brettanoymces, sold out quickly. Though demand prompted Yakobson to dip into a stash he had hoped to hold in reserve, many fans and collectors walked away disappointed.

No matter where you come down, these things are undeniable: Denver and Colorado can claim a bona fide craft-brewing phenomenon and anyone who wants a piece of it had better get in line earlier.

There is even better news still: Yakobson told us he will adjust the system to better serve the crowds in the future and is already dreaming of another color-inspired series of beers to roll out once he settles into a bigger, better location.

“Honestly, from our end as a company, it was an extremely successful day,” Yakobson said. “It was humbling and amazing to see that many people interested in the beers. It really makes us think we are doing something right and we’re very excited about it. We can make the necessary steps to accommodate more people.”

Few, if any, Colorado breweries can match the kind of attention and admiration Crooked Stave has received just three years into its existence. The state’s swelling legions of beer geeks, local[3] and national [4]press, contest judges[5] and Yakobson’s craft industry colleagues[6] all have fallen for the complex yet delicate beers that pour from his barrels.

Yakobson has hosted a couple other public bottle releases and experienced nothing like what happened last weekend. This was different, though. WWBV – brewed with pomegranate and lavender, fermented on whole fruit passion fruit then dry-hopped with an experimental hop – is the last in a series. And unlike its predecessors, it will never hit retail shelves.

The release was part of a bigger party, too, with Crooked Stave opening its back barrel room to the public and tapping limited-edition kegs of the six previously released colors in the Wild Wild Brett rainbow.

Crooked Stave laid out the ground rules in advance – the 750 milliliter bottles of Violet would go on sale at noon and individuals could purchase no more than six.

These kinds of beers change a great deal over time and lend themselves to cellaring, making each bottle truly different depending on when you open one. Some buyers no doubt had trading in mind.

Yakobson said he didn’t think the beer would sell out. He figured he’d sell two-thirds of the 1,200-bottle allotment. If everyone bought their maximum allotment, that is 200 lucky people.

Yakobson estimates 400 to 500 people showed up.

The result inspired an impassioned thread of comments[7] (is there any other kind?) on a BeerAdvocate forum judging the handling of the event. The opening salvo did not pull any punches:

(Cyrus McCrimmon, The Denver Post)

Total disaster. Waited over three hours to have it sell out before I could buy any. No indication whatsoever they may sell out till 15 minutes before they sold out. Didn’t give out tickets. Had a very high 6 bottle limit. Not very happy with how that was managed at all. Between my CS reserve membership, extra allocations, and frequent taproom visits I can’t imagine how much $ I have spent there in the past year or so. Just a “sorry guys” as we left. Glad I wasted my Sunday. ..

Robinson points out that it appeared anyone who arrived by the release time was able to purchase a bottle, which can’t be said for all bottle releases. If things moved slowly inside it was in part because Yakobson took the time to talk to everyone who bought bottles. Robinson reminds us “it’s only beer.” There will be more.

The event also spotlighted the community aspect of the craft beer community. Many waiting in line shared bottles of rare and vintage beers, including a cooler of Hill Farmstead[9] beers from Vermont that are probably more sought-after than any.

There, Yakobson said, the line can be 500 deep and still be in the building. The set-up will make it easier to separate bottle-buyers from those who just want to drink in the tasting room, he said.

Yakobson said other changes are likely as a result of ROY-G-BIV Day, including moving to cash-only sales and creating two lines – moves he expects will cut wait time by at least 50 percent.

Avery Brewing[11] in Boulder – the model for Crooked Stave’s bottle release – also has adapted based on experience. In 2010, Avery released the sixth in a series of barrel-aged beers, Margarete, a bourbon-barrel aged stout with dark cherries. The 55 cases disappeared in minutes.

The Barrel Cellar tasting room will close once the Source opens in the coming months (Cyrus McCrimmon/The Denver Post)

“People were screaming at the top of their lungs,” said Avery marketing director Joe Osborne.

At future special releases Avery limited the number bottles per individual, handed out tickets so people waiting in line knew whether they would be in luck and made other special beers available in the tap room people could enjoy while waiting, Osborne said.

Yet, as Yakobson points out, anyone who attends an Avery event had better get there a half-hour or an hour early. “That’s a risk you have when you show up to these,” he said. “No one is guaranteed beer.”

Crooked Stave had planned to hold back 10 cases of WWBV but started selling from that supply when demand exceeded expectations, Yakobson said. Much of the little remaining will be entered in contests, he said.

The brewery plans three to four releases in the next six months – the burgundy sour Origins, the golden sour L’Brett D’Or[12] and the Baltic-style porter Nightmare on Brett Street. All are returning from previous appearances.

That is not all. Considering the success of the rainbow series, Yakobson said Crooked Stave is considering starting a whole new series of special beers playing off the color wheel – say an ultra-red or microwave series or playing off different wavelengths of light, he said.

“We like building these sort of series,” Yakobson said. “They’re fun for us.”